Season of Unity
Together, to do better.
So many cheerful givers have already pledged their support to St. James’s for 2022. But there are still many of you who haven’t done it yet. Why are we so focused on getting you to pledge? Because your pledge tells us how much you plan to give--and when we know just how generous you plan to be, we can plan our year with confidence and creativity.
Your pledge matters. To pledge go here.
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Masks required at all indoor events for ages 2 and older.
Please make sure your children 2 years old and older are masked in accordance with the Governor's and CDC guidelines.
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Monday, November 1st
Community Yoga on Zoom:
Yoga for Mobility & Stability: 2:30 pm (suitable for beginners)
Yoga Vinyasa: 4 pm
Tuesday, November 2nd
Tuesday Men’s Bible Study: 7:30 am
Education for Ministry (EfM) on Zoom: 6 pm
Wednesday, November 3rd
Living Faith Bible Study: 10 am
Wednesday Night Worship, Study & Fellowship on Zoom: 5:30 pm - 8 pm
Becoming Beloved Community History Project
Speaker: diocesan Registrar and Historiographer Julia Randle
Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm,
Study at 6 pm, Fellowship at 7 pm
Come for all or part of our evening together
Thursday, November 4th
Men's Bible Study Breakfast on Zoom: 7:30 am
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This week's eChimes features |
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- Our stained glass windows
- The Taste has started.
- Helping our friends in Hurley
- 5 pm service
- Sacred Ground is back.
- Your Baptism questions happily answered.
- Junior & Senior Youth Fellowship
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- "This is the blood of my new covenant."
- "If you came this way...." Pilgrimage and Hike
- Corey's Gospel Hour is back.
- The new St. James's app
- The St. James's podcast
- Make room on your frig
- Prayers of the People
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Making sure our stained glass windows sends a welcoming message.
After at least 9 years of on-and-off discussions of the matter, the moment has come for St. James’s to address the long-standing issue of the Confederate iconography contained in two stained-glass windows in our sanctuary.
We know there are strong feelings on both sides of this issue--preserving the windows as they are vs. removing them altogether. And we’re keenly aware that there’s no way to fully satisfy everyone in our congregation. But we can agree that our goal as a loving church is to provide a space where everyone feels welcomed and comfortable, whether they’re long-time members or first-time visitors. And as we celebrate our Season of Unity, we have sought a solution that helps us achieve our goal of creating a warm and inviting place to worship.
So what will we be doing? For starters, the windows are not being removed. Nor are they being preserved as they are. It’s been decided that we’ll work with a skilled artisan who has completed similar projects for other churches in our situation. He will be putting black plexiglass over the most polarizing pieces of the windows, most significantly the battle flag of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and the symbol of the Daughters of the Confederacy. The new black pieces blend with the adhesive between the colored pieces of stained glass, allowing them to be largely imperceptible.
Because the pieces being covered are small, the change to the overall appearance of the windows will be barely perceptible to most. But the change in their meaning will be significant to many.
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The Taste has started.
Don’t miss out. Order soon.
Our pre-ordering is live today--OCTOBER 29th--and will continue while supplies last.
The Taste of St. James’s is one of the great traditions of our church. Every year, our chapter of the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) holds this event, which is an embodiment of the Kingdom of God. Incredible food prepared by our most gifted culinary artists, then sold to support Food Force, our feeding ministry at St. James’s. The items for sales make great gifts--as long as you include yourself on the gift list.
Pre-orders will be available for pick up from St. James’s Michaux House Parking Lot drive-thru (1133 W. Franklin Street) on Saturday, November 20th from 10 am to 1 pm - just in time for Thanksgiving!
If there are any extra items, they will be available to purchase in-person on Sunday, November 21st in Valentine Hall.
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Our friends in Hurley
need our help.
Our Appalachia mission partners and friends in Hurley, VA experienced catastrophic flooding on August 30. And they are--quite literally--still trying to dig their way out.
St. James’s has already sent $5,000 to assist in the immediate recovery efforts. But they really need our hands-on help. With that in mind, St. James’s will be sending a mixed-aged mission team to Hurley the weekend of November 19-22.
If you can help during any portion of this weekend (travel time/schedule/transportation is all flexible), please contact Mary Beth directly mbabplanalp@doers.org by November 8th.
Teenagers are welcome to come with parents or solo if we can arrange proper supervision. I’ll be the trip leader and my two boys will come with me. Cost to participate will be minimal and we’ll stay at the Hurley Community Development, Inc bunkhouse. Learn more here.
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No 5 pm service this Sunday.
Because this Sunday is Halloween, and we expect many of you will be Trick or Treating or handing out candy, we’ve decided not to hold our 5 pm service this week.
The service will resume in November with the final three 5 pm services of the Fall on November 7, 14 and 21. After that, they’ll likely resume in January.
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People loved Sacred Ground. So we brought it back.
The powerful Sacred Ground series we held in the Spring was extremely popular, so we’ve brought it back this Fall. It’s a powerful 10-part film and readings-based series on race, grounded in faith. The series is especially designed to help white people talk about a very challenging subject--racism. Our small, lay-led groups will meet once or twice a month and together we’ll walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism.
Please watch this video and hear directly from St. James’sers who have taken the course explain how powerful it was for them.
Register for a Sacred Ground small group here.
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Your Baptism questions happily answered here.
Baptism Orientation - Sunday, November 14, 10:15 a.m., Michaux House Basement
Are you considering baptism for yourself or your child? Are you expecting a child and thinking about baptism? Our clergy, staff, and Baptism Guides warmly invite you to our 45-minute baptism information session designed to answer important questions in preparation for this joyful sacrament. We address both theological and practical questions like: “What does God do at baptism?” “Who should I ask to be a godparent for my child?” and “How do I sign up my child or myself to be baptized at St. James’s?” Offered twice a year. Spring Dates TBD.
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Click on the images for more information. |
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“This is my blood of
the new covenant.”
Serving the blood of Christ from the cup of salvation is a powerful act--perhaps the most powerful act a non-ordained person can perform in the church. If you’ve ever yearned to be a LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister), now is the time to sign up. The church is preparing to add wine back to the Eucharist soon, so the role of LEMs will return to normal soon. Please reach out to Mary Brown or Michael Lantz to know more.
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“If You Came This Way . . .”:
A Pilgrimage and hike to
Farrar’s Island, Henrico, Virginia
On November 13th put yourself in the shoes of two Colonial era pioneers who forged a new church in the new world.
For everyone interested in our Becoming Beloved Community, Stewards of the Earth, and Intentional Spirituality ministries, not to mention lovers of poetry and church history, our upcoming pilgrimage has something meaningful for you. Click to learn more.
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Corey’s Gospel Hour is back.
Maybe you’ve seen his one-of-a-kind act at Main Line Brewery or Cary Street Cafe. Or maybe you’ve read about him in RVA Mag or Style Weekly. Or maybe you have no idea who Corey Axt is. It doesn’t matter, you’re gonna love Corey’s Gospel Hour, Sunday, November 14th at 7 pm in Valentine Hall.
We’re lowering the lights but turning up the intensity, whether it’s old gospel hymns, a quiet poetry reading, or original songs performed by Corey himself, it promises to be an unforgettable evening.
This is the third time Corey is bringing his gospel hour to St. James’s, joined by The West Gallery Choir and Guitar Ensemble. You don’t want to miss it.
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The new St. James’s app will surprise you.
Here is Tracy Schneider’s reaction:
“While I consider myself somewhat in the know about things happening at St. James's, I recently stumbled back on the app and was surprised by what I found. I had downloaded it a long time ago and at the time, did not find it extremely useful. So I was blown away with my discovery!
It is awesome! It puts so many things right at your fingertips.
You can access the livestream, open service bulletins, easily find previous sermons, read the Book of Common Prayer and Bible, and in this Season of Unity very easily make a pledge to the church. If you have not downloaded it, I encourage you to do so. And if you have it downloaded but haven't looked at it in a while, definitely revisit it.”
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The St. James’s Podcast is here.
St. James’s has launched a podcast called Be Ye Hearers, which will feature sermons from the St. James’s clergy. Over time, we may add other content, but for now we’ve observed that parishioners really want to hear the sermons, even when you can’t view or attend the service.
So go to Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts and search for Be Ye Hearers.
Happy listening!
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Make room on your fridge.
St. James’s has brought back the monthly paper calendar. If you would like a copy, you can pick one up in the Narthex or print out the pdf we’ve included here.
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Click here to see the names of those we're remembering in our prayers this week.
We do our best to keep this list current, but if you want your name added or removed, please contact Mary Brown or call her at 804-355-1779, ext. 313.
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St. James’s Episcopal Church | DOERS.ORG | (804) 355-1779
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